SIGHTSEEING: MONT SANT MICHEL
When the tide
is up it becomes an isolated island, and when it comes down you can reach land
by foot which takes 30 min or less.
The island has held strategic fortifications since ancient times, and since the eighth
century AD has been the seat of the monastery from which it draws its name.
The structural
composition of the town exemplifies the feudal society that constructed it: on top
“God”, below the abbey and monastery, below this the Great
halls, then
stores and housing, and at the bottom, outside the walls, fishermen and
farmers' housing.
Its unique
position of being an island only 600 meters from land made it readily
accessible on low tide to
the many pilgrims to its abbey. Equally, this position made it readily defensible as an incoming tide stranded, or drowned, would-be assailants. By capitalizing on this natural defense, the Mont remained unconquered during the Hundred Years' War with a small garrison successfully defending it against a full attack by the English in 1433. The reverse benefits of its natural defense was not lost on Louis XI who turned The Mont into a state prison and thereafter the abbey started to be used more regularly as a jail during the Ancien Régime from the sixteenth century.
the many pilgrims to its abbey. Equally, this position made it readily defensible as an incoming tide stranded, or drowned, would-be assailants. By capitalizing on this natural defense, the Mont remained unconquered during the Hundred Years' War with a small garrison successfully defending it against a full attack by the English in 1433. The reverse benefits of its natural defense was not lost on Louis XI who turned The Mont into a state prison and thereafter the abbey started to be used more regularly as a jail during the Ancien Régime from the sixteenth century.
One of
France's most recognizable landmarks, Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are part of
the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and
more than 3 million people visit it each year.
Map of Mont
Sant Michel with the Abbey dominating the Island.
